Cruise ship passenger arrested for touching, exposing himself to teens, police confirm

A Florida man was arrested on March 22 after allegedly touching and exposing himself in front of minors on a Celebrity cruise ship, according to an arrest affidavit from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. 

Michael "Mike" Henry Mullis, 39, of Lutz, Florida, faces two counts of indecent exposure on the Celebrity Eclipse cruise ship. Two passengers, ages 17 and 16, told investigators that Mullis exposed himself and started masturbating on the top bench of the sauna, NBC6 reported.

The sauna is located inside Celebrity's Persian Garden thermal suite. The relaxation lounge has heated tile loungers, an herbal steam room, tropical rain showers, and a traditional sauna. 

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Later that day, a 19-year-old crew member reported seeing Mullis in the sauna. He removed his clothing, then covered himself with a towel. However, according to the affidavit, he asked the 19-year-old a lewd question regarding his genitals. 

The ship's security team took Mullis into custody, and he was transported to Broward's eight-story main jail in downtown Fort Lauderdale upon arrival in Florida. 

Mullis was previously arrested in Nov. 2008 for driving under the influence in Hillsborough County, Florida. He was 22 at the time.

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At some point in his career, Mullis was a teacher in Tampa, Florida. He taught Honors American Government and AP Human Geography at a local high school. Mullis shared that he thoroughly enjoyed teaching on his personal Weebly blog. 

It isn't clear whether he left the profession or not. However, the cruise was over the Hillsborough County Public School spring break, which could explain why Mullis was on board that specific sailing. 

According to Cruise Mapper, the Celebrity Eclipse ship just completed an 8-night Caribbean cruise to St. Kitts, Antigua, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. The ship departed from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Mar. 14 and returned on the 22nd. 

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Celebrity Eclipse set sail on her maiden voyage in April 2010. She measures 121,878 gross tons and has a passenger capacity of 2,874 at double occupancy. The ship will remain in Florida through April 2026. 

Then, she will relocate to Europe for the summer, visiting destinations such as Amsterdam, Netherlands; Copenhagen, Denmark; Naples, Italy; Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland; Lisbon, Portugal; and Ålesund, Norway.